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Offaly Crowned All-Ireland U-20 Football Champions

Sunday, 15 August 2021 14:53

By Robbie Fahy @RobbieFahy

It's a special day for the faithful county.

Offaly have reached the promised land. 

A typically scintillating performance from Declan Kelly's side has delivered a first All-Ireland at this grade since 1988. 

Roscommon will rue a plethora of early goal chances but in truth the faithful were well worth their three point winning margin.

 

A late rally from the Rossies wasn't enough, 1-14 to 1-11 the final score. 

In a game where momentum shifts were a dime a dozen, it was all about which team would make the most of their purple patch and Offaly showed right from the outset that their marksmen were on fire. 

Morgan Tynan, Cormac Egan and Jack Bryant all finding their range in the opening ten minutes. 

To their credit Roscommon responded to setbacks throughout and dragged themselves back level in a blistering five minute spell of their own. 

What ensued over a twelve minutes either side of the water break might be looked back on as the crucial point in this contest.

A 45' from Tynan began a run of four scores on the bounce. Cathal Donoghue and a brace from Rhode's Aaron Kellaghan also keeping the scoreboard ticking.

During that time Roscommon would spurn three gilt edge goal chances. First through a fantastic stop by net-minder Sean O'Toole and then some excellent scramble defence from his full-back line on successive occasions. 

The Connacht side could easily have dropped the heads at this point but managed to claw the deficit back to two points, 0-7 to 0-5 heading into break. 

When Kellaghan opened the second half by taking a mark and cooly slotting over you could sense the cries of 'UIBH FHAILI' raining down from the stands were growing in confidence.

Liam Tully's side again hit back with a brace of their own to reduce their arrears to one but this was as close as the Connacht champions would get. 

Tynan, Egan, Bryant, Donoghue and Kellaghan all stepped up massively for their side between the 40th and 50th minute, kicking a score a piece and putting the faithful in an unassailable position in the closing stages. 

Bryant added to his top scorer tally for the competition with yet another goal in the 55th minute and what was a one point lead was now seven with five minutes on the clock. 

For the fifth time in the match Roscommon found it within themselves to rally and make Shane Lowry and thousands of Offaly men, women and children who made the pilgrimage to Croke Park sweat one final time. 

Offaly's burgeoning rise at underage level in both codes was not for stopping today though and they saw out the final few minutes with composure beyond their years. 

For the first time at this level in 33 years, let the party begin. 

Offaly scorers:

Jack Bryant 1-2; Aaron Kellaghan/Morgan Tynan both 0-4; Cormac Egan/Cathal Donoghue both 0-2.

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